Final Countdown
by hatondog
Summary: Post "This One Time in Space Camp".  The mission to Titan doesn't go as hoped. Is Zane dead, lost in space, or ?  And how much does Jo care? Chapter 3 is up-please note that the rating has changed to a strong T for this last chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Final Countdown

_Usual Disclaimer: Don't own Eureka. If I did, I wouldn't have cancelled it (looking at you, SyFy)._

"Begin countdown." With Grace's calm order, all eyes in GD's Astraeus mission control room turned to the digital counter transposed across a holographic display of the ship's command bridge. The display filled the center of the room, making its virtual occupants—Grace, Fargo, Holly, Zane and two other scientists—appear to be standing within touching distance of their colleagues back on Earth. They weren't. In fact, they were farther away than any manned spacecraft had traveled, and within seconds of going much farther.

"10, 9…" As the numbers ticked down, the faces around the control room reflected different reactions to the event. Standing alone, the frown Parrish had sported since his absence from the Astraeus team was announced deepened. He turned away from the hologram as the countdown continued.

"8, 7…" Simultaneously, Jack and Allison reached their hands toward the other. They smiled as their fingers touched, glancing quickly at each other before returning their gazes to the center of the room.

"6, 5…" Henry's eyes moved rapidly between rows of buttons and switches spread across the lengthy control panel then back to Grace's flickering image. All was as it should be, but…following his natural instinct for caution, he began scanning every inch of the panel again.

"4, 3…" Jo sat on a chair next to where Henry stood. Her face was blank. To the casual observer, she seemed to be utterly still, calm to the point of not breathing. A more observant person would see the telltale signs of rapidly increasing tension—knuckles whitening as she gripped the table's edge, back ramrod straight. Her eyes were fixed on one spot, the point where Zane's virtual image hovered a few feet away. "2…" She closed her eyes, then snapped them open.

"1."

The space occupied by the hologram turned white as the words "_Faster Than Light Module Activated_" replaced the numbers on the digital counter. Minutes passed, then the outlines of the Astraeus bridge team began to appear again. Cheers broke out around the room, as scientists leapt to their feet, slapped hands, clapped backs and generally began a rowdy celebration of a mission accomplished. Henry wiped a hand across his face and spun to grin at Jack and Allison, who were hugging in triumph. Across the room, even Parrish was smiling slightly, his bruised ego momentarily forgotten in the face of such an immense scientific advance.

Only Jo remained immobile, eyes intent on Zane's slowly re-forming image. So she was the first to react when that image shuddered, pixilated, then vanished.

"What happened?" she said, looking rapidly around toward Henry. No one responded, so she banged her fist down. "What HAPPENED?" she shouted, gesturing to the now missing hologram. Henry turned away from Jack. "What-". Before he could finish his thought, he realized the source of Jo's concern and rushed back to the control panel.

"It's probably just a problem with the holographic signal. Sending visual data streams from space required new technology, and there could have been some interference with the EM shield. I'll boost the receiver frequency and reboot the system. That _should_ take care of it…" Henry trailed off as he pressed buttons, seemingly at random. Heads swiveled to him then back to the display space, which remained blank. He pressed his lips together and threw a clearly worried look toward Allison. She stepped forward. "How about…" She and Henry spoke rapidly in low tones, punctuating their discussion with jabs at the control panel. Others scrambled for their chairs, calling out readings from the circle of desks around the room.

"Jo, any idea what's going on?" Jack asked quietly. She shook her head. "I don't know. The communications system was designed to work as far away as Titan. They didn't want to rely just on voice communication—the visual data stream was supposed to allow the control team to monitor activity on Astraeus even if the flight team was sleeping, or sick, or…". She swallowed hard, and glanced back at the display space. Still blank. Jack put a hand on Jo's shoulder.

"It's a redundancy, something to ensure that we could always see the team, even if we couldn't talk to them. After Fargo and Zane's little trip around the ISS, the risks of losing all communication with a flight crew were pretty obvious. Having visual and audio signals that could operate independently on an infinite range of frequencies was _supposed_ to make the communications system foolproof." Jack's lips twitched upward. "Foolproof…in _Eureka_?" he said incredulously. Jo returned his smile, although hers didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, well…".

"They're back!" Henry shouted. Jo spun toward the center of the room, where the Astraeus bridge now filled the display space. For a few seconds, relieved sighs and laughter drowned out the audio feed. Slowly, though, the control room became silent as focus turned to Grace's words.

"The FTL failed." Her voice was curiously flat. "We know that we're still in our solar system, and we're confirming our exact location now." The control group assigned to position monitoring was bent over their stations, hands flying over the keyboards. "All systems are functional, although…" Grace took a slow breath and squared her shoulders. She continued, looking into the middle distance as she spoke. Her image nearly filled the display. "We almost lost a navigation unit when we stopped. It was like we hit a wall…we rocked nearly 90 degrees then back in a second. The right pod with the primary sensor array split away from the ship with the force…it was barely attached when we stopped moving."

Grace's voice grew quiet. "If it had separated, we might not be able to make it home. But…" Her voice trailed off as she stepped slightly back. Fargo was now visible, sitting with his head in his hands. Holly was next to him, slightly out of frame. A trickle of blood rolled down her cheek. Fargo looked at her for a long moment, then cleared his throat to speak. "We got it back. _Zane_ got it back." He voice was strained. "He went out-". Jo's gasp sounded like a crack through the silent control room. Fargo's eyes turned toward the Astraeus communication screen so he seemed to be looking directly at her.

"Jo, he was _amazing_." Although he barely spoke above a whisper, Fargo's voice filled the room. "He didn't hesitate. Before we were even off the floor, he was heading out there with a retrieval unit. We know it activated because the array retracted back to the ship. But the engines—they fired up. We don't know why…maybe the rotation, I don't _know_…" Fargo's voice broke.

"Henry? Would you please pick up a comm-link?" Grace asked. Henry complied, knowing without more to hand it to Jo. The audio feed from the holographic display unit muted.

"Jo…Jo, I'm _so_ sorry…we lost him. When the ship rocked the second time, we think he was thrown clear of the pod." Jo's grip on the device loosened and it dropped to the floor. She didn't notice. Her face was nearly impassive, but her breath was coming in sharp gasps. Jack dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around Jo's upper body. She didn't notice that either, lost to paralyzing shock.

Henry picked the comm-link up. "Grace?"

"Oh _God_, Henry." Although no sound projected from the virtual Astraeus, the tears rolling down the faces of its crew told the assembled group all they needed to know. "We've tried tracking Zane. He had his flight suit on, and it would have had an active tracking beacon. You know—the range on those things is huge. If we could capture the signal, we could try a rescue." She paused, then spoke with obvious frustration. "But we aren't _getting_ anything. It's like he just vanished. Henry…" her voice shook slightly and she paused. "We don't know…we can't be sure…" She steadied herself. "We don't know if he's alive or…not. And if he's alive, we don't know where in the _hell _he is."

The control room had become still when Henry muted the Astraeus audio feed. Not a single rustle of paper or click of a keyboard interrupted the quiet until it was shattered with a high-pitched keening.

Still seated at the main control table, Jo was clutching her stomach, her hands curled into fists. "No, no, _no_…" she gasped between sobs, oblivious to the room full of staring eyes. She shook off Jack's arms and doubled over, repeating "no" as if she would never stop. No one else moved, frozen at the sight of her devastating grief.

With one hand on Jo's arm, Jack looked pleadingly up at Henry and Allison, his own vision blurred with tears. Henry stepped forward and lowered himself to Jo's eye level. "Jo," he spoke quietly but with sufficient authority that she turned her head toward him, without meeting his eyes. "We don't know yet what happened here. Zane may be alive." He looked back at Allison. She looked at him with understanding, but shook her head slightly. Gazing at her for a moment, Henry considered his next words.

"Jo." He leaned forward until they made eye contact. "Zane trained for this. He was equipped for this. _He_ _may be alive._ If he is, we will find him_. _If he is…" Henry met Jack's eyes briefly. After a moment of non-verbal discussion, he looked back into Jo's. "If he is, _I promise you_ that we will save him."

The few people within earshot startled at this. Henry Deacon and the truth were rarely, if ever, known to part company. But he'd just made Jo a promise no one had reason to believe he could keep. Silence descended over the room, broken only by the sound of Jo's quiet sobs.

**Author's Note: I know, I know…pure misery. I guess the tone of cast & crew tweets about today's final wrap on filming of Eureka got to me. So I took it out on Zane…although I actually do think we may see something along these lines (less potentially fatal, I hope) develop before the season ends. **


	2. Chapter 2

Final Countdown (Chapter 2)

After a few moments of stunned silence, the scientists in the Astraeus control room began separating into groups, quietly discussing options for bringing the ship home from its failed journey. With a look of apology, Allison left Henry and Jack with Jo at the main control panel to begin organizing what was now a rescue effort for the Astraeus crew.

Jo was still crying, though not audibly. As she struggled with little effect to regain her composure, General Mansfield appeared, an Army officer at his side. They had been present to observe the first planned use of the Faster Than Light module. Instead, they'd witnessed what would likely be the end of a $20 billion project.

"Lupo," the General said, more softly than Jack or Henry could ever remember him speaking. Jo turned toward him, reflexively beginning to stand. "No, please don't." He gestured for her to remain seated. "I didn't know about your…relationship with Donovan. I'm…" Jack stiffened. Was the man actually going to chastise Jo for her involvement with Zane? Now? "I'm sorry for your loss." His words were formal, but sincere.

Jo looked at him, face devoid of the surprise she would have felt at any other time. "Thank you." Her voice was strained, but calm. Mansfield nodded, then moved off toward Allison. Jo turned back toward Jack. "I'm going to my office. I should…" she trailed off, looking at Jack as though he could tell her what her next step should be.

"Jo," he said. "Why don't you go back to S.A.R.A.H? There isn't anything you can do here for now. I'll take you." She shook her head no. "Jo, you shouldn't drive-".

"I want to stay here. At GD. In case…" she looked out at the now busy control room. "In case I'm needed." As Jack opened his mouth to object, his cell phone rang. With a huff of frustration, he pulled it from its holster. "Carter," he barked.

"Boss?" Deputy Andy's relentlessly upbeat voice came from the phone. "Not now, Andy. We have a serious problem here." Jack made to end the call when Andy spoke again. "I know. That is what I am calling about. I've been making my nightly rounds of Eureka, and have detected unusual amounts of radiation in the vicinity of the Boson Cloud Exciter."

"The Boson…what?" The Sheriff absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck with exasperation. At his words, Henry looked up sharply from Jo's face. "The BCE, boss. There is a radiation spike suggesting that it has been activated within the last hour. Should I investigate?"

"Jack." Henry spoke urgently. "Is that Andy? Is he near the BCE?" When Jack's face remained blank, Henry changed tack. "The catcher's mitt, Jack. The radiation field we used to catch the capsule that Fargo and-" Henry broke off with a worried look toward Jo. "The Apollo capsule, when it returned from space."

"Um, Andy?" Jack spoke quickly. "Are you near the BCE?" When Andy answered affirmatively, Jack extended his phone to Henry. "One moment." Henry turned to the main control panel, rapidly pressing keys as he scanned a data readout. He straightened quickly, glancing at Jack with eyebrows raised before speaking to the robotic deputy waiting on the line.

"How far are you from the BCE? Good. Go there now—your copper shielding should protect you. Call us as soon as you arrive." Henry snapped the phone shut and pulled Jack a few steps away from Jo, lowering his voice. "Jack, he's right. The BCE _did _activate, right at the time when the data show the second impact shook Astraeus."

"So? That means…" Jack circled his hand in a 'hurry up' gesture.

"I'm not sure. If the FTL was functioning, then Astraeus was supposed to return after the mission via the BCE. We modified it-when the positioning sensor arrays on the ship sent a signal, the BCE would activate automatically. It would help pull the ship back from deep space."

"But the FTL wasn't working, right? So why would the crew turn on the BCE?" Jack asked.

"Maybe _they_ didn't. I'm guessing here, Jack, but it's possible that the strong vibrations Astraeus suffered when the FTL failed and it came to a sudden stop did something to the positioning sensor arrays. Those weren't designed for that kind of impact_._"

"Positioning sensor arrays." Jack's voice was tinged with excitement. "Aren't those what-"

"What Zane was trying to save." Henry and Jack had been so intent on their conversation that they hadn't noticed Jo's approach until she spoke. They shared a quick look before Henry answered. "Yes. What he _did_ save."

"Henry." Jack's voice was almost reluctant, as if he wasn't sure if his next question should be asked. "Are you saying that the sensor array thing could have turned on the BCE?"

"It's possible. Briefly, anyway—the readings indicate that the BCE was only active for a few seconds. But if it was responding to a signal from the sensor arrays, it might have connected to the FTL—it might have turned it _on_, at least briefly."

"What would have turned the BCE off?" Jack asked the question of Henry, but it was Jo who responded. "It would turn off when transmission was complete. When it received what was being sent to it. But Astraeus didn't come back…". Jo stopped, her eyes widening.

Henry nodded as Jack's phone rang again. He pressed the speaker on. "Andy? Did you get to the BCE? Is there anything…there?" Realization had dawned over Jack's face as well.

"No. Not anything." Jo's eyes closed, the tiny hope she'd barely recognized starting to drain from her. "It's _someone_. Mr. Donovan is here. He appears to be quite injured." Andy continued in his usual cheery tone. "I assume I should bring him to the infirmary?"

_EUREKA EUREKA EUREKA EUREKA_

News of Zane's discovery spread rapidly through the Astraeus control room. Most people were simply relieved, whether or not they'd known or liked him. Some were skeptical that he could have made the journey from deep space in one piece, if at all. And a few were privately of the opinion that Zane's presence on Astraeus had been an illusion, that he'd been in Eureka all along. On the Astraeus, however, the mood was elation. Zane's loss had overshadowed even their concerns about whether the ship could return. His survival seemed like a sign that they too would make it home.

"I want a medical-surgical team standing by and need a full treatment kit brought up _stat_." Allison was directing the preparations to treat Zane's injuries. "We need someone to go out to the BCE and get him stabilized for transport." Jo reached toward her. "Can't you go, Allison? I mean…". Senator Wen stepped forward as Allison began to shake her head.

"Go," she said to Allison. "I can supervise the recovery effort here while you're away—Dr. Deacon can assist." Allison turned toward her, surprised at the suggestion that the acting Director of GD leave at such a critical juncture. Wen, however, was looking at Jo with a look that bordered on sympathy.

"Fine," said Allison, moving off toward the door. "I'm going too," said Jo. Her expression was calm, but anxiety filled her voice. "It's going to take us 30 minutes to get there, at least. How long will it take to get an ambulance ready?" Wen stepped forward and grasped Jo's shoulder. "Take my helicopter. You can get there and back in the time it would take to get off the grounds in an ambulance." Jo nodded and turned to follow Allison.

"Andy, I need you to assess Zane's condition." Allison spoke into her phone as she and Jo jogged toward the elevator. "Run as complete a diagnostic scan as you can and stabilize him if possible, but _do not _move him. We don't know whether he's suffered any head or spinal damage." At this, Jo stumbled slightly, but recovered quickly. Jack watched as the elevator doors closed behind them, then closed his eyes, bowing his head for a moment before returning to the control room.

_EUREKA EUREKA EUREKA EUREKA_

An hour later, Jack walked into a treatment center adjacent to the infirmary. Allison and several other doctors were standing in front of a bank of medical equipment, watching as numbers and lines flickered across screens. Several yards away, a cylindrical glass enclosure filled a corner of the room. Zane was inside, strapped to a gurney, his eyes closed.

"How is he?" Jack spoke softly, eyes on Jo, who was standing next to the enclosure. As he watched, she pressed her hand against the glass, splaying her fingers as if to reach through to where Zane lay.

"No brain or spinal damage that we could detect, but he's suffering from decompression sickness," Allison answered. At Jack's blank look, she explained. "The bends. Exposure to the zero pressure atmosphere of space, coupled with the effects of faster than light travel caused air bubbles to become trapped in his bloodstream and tissues. He was at risk of having a stroke, so we needed to get him into the hyperbaric chamber and begin treatment immediately." She gestured to the glass enclosure.

"He's lucky, Jack. If the FTL hadn't connected to the BCE for the few seconds it took to bring Zane home, he wouldn't have survived. His flight suit was adequate to protect him for that time. As it is, he has multiple bone fractures-we didn't have time to set them, so he's sedated and restrained for now."

Jack blew out a sigh, body relaxing somewhat for the first time in what felt like hours. "Henry said the FTL was able to connect to the BCE. Only for a few seconds, but he's pretty sure they can fix it well enough to bring the ship home. Looks like they won't make it to Titan any time soon, though." He looked toward Jo. "How is she doing? I know they still had a lot of things to work out before he left but-it's _Zane_. She loves the guy."

Allison smiled. "She's better, now that she's seen him. There's no guarantee, but it looks like he'll make a full recovery, eventually. For tonight, I've set her up with a bed here—she's said she won't leave, but I want her to get some sleep after everything she's been through. I'll give her something to help with that once Zane finishes the hyperbaric session and we've treated his other injuries. She'll do fine until then." Jack smiled in return, taking the opportunity to kiss Allison lightly before walking to Jo's side.

"Jo, you ok?" She turned to Jack, smiling slightly. Despite the evident signs of strain on her face, her eyes were sparkling. "He's _alive._ I almost don't believe it…I was so sure I'd lost him again. But there he is," she looked at Zane. "We've been through so much, even though he doesn't remember all of it. I didn't think he was the same Zane I knew before, couldn't allow myself to really let him in. But when I thought he was gone…" her voice grew determined. "It didn't matter if he's the same or different, if he's sweet, or snarky, or a delinquent. It didn't matter if he loves me now, or even if he ever will. It _doesn't_ matter now. I love him, Carter, I really do. And whether or not we have a future together, I'm going to make sure he knows it."

Jack squeezed Jo's shoulder as her gaze returned to Zane. He smiled to Allison before leaving to check on the status of the rescue effort for Astraeus. Jo spoke softly, head leaning against the glass enclosure.

"I meant what I said. I love you. Not my memory of you, but _you._ I'm sorry I let you doubt that before you left. I'm sorry we both haven't tried harder. But I promise you I will." She raised her head and voice slightly. "You just promise me you'll get better, and we'll try to make it work. Together."

Jo leaned her head back against the glass and closed her eyes. She and Zane had time now, and she intended to use it well.

**A/N: So there it is—I just couldn't leave Zane and anyone reading this hanging. I'm considering one more chapter, something with M inclinations, but am not sure I have the nerve. If I don't, use your imaginations—poor Zane will be bed-ridden for a while, but he deserves a little fun after what I've put him through. q-:)**


	3. Chapter 3

Final Countdown (Chapter 3)

_The usual disclaimer: Don't own Eureka. If I did, I wouldn't have cancelled it (looking at you, SyFy)._

Three days after being found at the BCE site, Zane was ready for release from the GD infirmary. The hyperbaric treatment he'd received had eliminated the life-threatening gases which had built up in his bloodstream during his brief, unprecedented passage through space. The concussion which resulted from the sudden change in pressure on reentering the atmosphere above Eureka was mild, leaving him with just a lingering headache. With the exception of his right wrist, whose several broken bones would require rehabilitation, the fractures of his leg and ribs he suffered on impact were clean ones. They would heal within weeks.

He was extraordinarily lucky to be alive, and knew it.

Zane's condition was not the only cause for gratitude. Working around the clock, the Astraeus team devised a way to operate the FTL for the short time they hoped would be sufficient to bring the ship home. Based on Henry's experience with jerryrigging the BCE to capture Zane and Fargo on their earlier, unauthorized trip to space, the ground crew was able to send a signal to the on-board navigation array that Zane had rescued. Seconds later, with considerably less drama than the situation actually warranted, Astraeus was sitting on the BCE's landing pad.

The journey to Titan was over, having ended several million miles away from its goal. Years of bureaucratic review and commission reports awaited, after which the mission would be quietly filed away as an ill-fated expenditure of taxpayer money. To GD scientists, however, the mission would yield a treasure trove of data for years to come, failure sometimes being far more informative than success.

_EUREKA EUREKA EUREKA EUREKA_

Jo straightened the covers over Zane, eyes sweeping the bed and nightstands set up in the guest room of her newly completed house to confirm that he had everything he needed at hand. Her gaze stopped on his face. He grinned broadly, eyebrows raised.

"Jo Lupo, playing Florence Nightengale. Who'd believe it?" His expression became suggestive. "_Nurse _Lupo. I think I like that."

Jo rolled her eyes. "Don't get used to this, Asterisk. When your 15 minutes of hero fame is up, you're out of here." Despite her snarky tone, Jo's smile was kind. She gently ran a hand along the cast surrounding Zane's broken left leg. "When you can walk again, that is."

She sat gingerly next to him on the bed. In truth, Zane's mobility was going to be limited for some time. In addition to the broken leg, the extensive damage to his right wrist meant he had only his left for support. Even with that, his cracked ribs made movement difficult. Had Jo not stepped up to care for him, he would have been looking at an extended hospital stay, not an attractive option.

"Seriously, Jo, thank you. This," he moved his head to indicate his body "would have been pretty miserable to get through stuck in a hospital bed. One in a hospital, anyway." He patted the bed, one Jo had arranged to have moved from the GD infirmary to her house for Zane to recover in.

"My pleasure," Jo said softly. She grasped Zane's uninjured hand and they sat in silence for a few moments. Jo leaned forward to press a kiss on his lips, then pulled back. Zane scanned her face wishing, not for the first time, that he could hear her thoughts. "Jo?" he asked uncertainly as she looked steadily into his eyes. Seeming to reach a decision, Jo stretched out next to Zane on the bed. Shifting her body to keep her weight off of his, she braced her hands along either side of his torso.

"Shhh," she said, capturing his lips again. He responded with enthusiasm, but his expression when they broke the kiss was regretful. "I don't think I can, um, rise to this occasion, Jo. I'm sorry—you have no idea how sorry—but my body just isn't going to cooperate now." He grinned. "The mind is _really_ willing though…maybe a raincheck?"

Jo smiled back, shaking her head. "You don't need to do anything." She raised a hand to stroke his cheek, then lowered her mouth to his neck, lightly kissing down it. He drew in a sharp breath, rolling his head to give her better access. For a time, she alternated between his mouth and neck until his breathing grew heavier. "Zane?" she asked, concerned that he might not yet be in good enough condition for even this level of activity.

"I'm fine. More than fine." His voice was slightly strained, eyes dark and fixed on Jo's face. She smiled, then pushed her body toward the end of the bed, pulling the covers with her. Zane's eyes widened, then closed tightly as her lips traced the angle of his hip. "Jo-" he said in a strangled tone. She briefly raised her head. "I said, _quiet._" "Yes, ma'am," he gasped before his body jerked then stiffened as Jo's mouth found its target. She ran a hand up his side, forestalling further movement that could put pressure on his injured leg.

Unable to raise his hips or otherwise move much in response to the rhythm Jo was setting, Zane gripped the bed sheet with his one free hand. Eventually, despite her command for silence, he was unable to stifle a groan, which was followed by a hoarse cry as he lost control. Breathing hard, Jo stroked his side as she rolled back against the bed, eyes closed. She had intended to focus only on Zane, but the intensity of his reaction had tipped her over the edge as well. She relaxed bonelessly, listening to his breath slow as he recovered too.

Reaching down, Zane wound his fingers through her hair. She slid up, resting her head on his chest until he began to speak. "JoJo. I need you to know…" he took a deep breath then continued. "When the FTL failed, I didn't think much beyond getting to the nav pod. One second we were in flight, the next we were on the floor. I was next to the nav access port and saw that the pod had broken loose." Jo nodded. She knew what had happened on Astraeus, but was anxious to know what had been going through Zane's head when he'd left the ship.

"All I thought at first was, we're not getting back. I couldn't just let that happen." He shook his head, appearing almost confused. "I wasn't even _thinking_, not really. What went through my head…your face, Jo. I saw your face, and couldn't accept that it would just be a memory." He paused, then gave a bark of laughter that was entirely without humor. "Like I still am for you, whether or not I ever made it back here." Jo stiffened, raising her head. She put a hand to his lips, stilling them.

"Zane, I'm sorry. I should have told you before you left. Letting you go without knowing was the _most_ stupid thing I've ever done. When Grace said they'd lost you, all I could think was that you'd died not knowing…" She raised her head until they were eye to eye. Tears were filling her eyes, something he couldn't remember ever having seen. "I love you, Zane. Not your memory—_his_ memory—but you. I have for a while, but didn't want to admit it…I was so caught up in worrying that I'd lose you again that I nearly lost you for good."

Jo paused, gathering her thoughts. Zane's expression held surprise, but his gaze was steady. "I didn't want you to feel like you _had _to care for me—what happened in the other timeline isn't your problem. Making me happy in this one isn't your responsibility. You have your own life now, your freedom…if you stay here," she said, echoing Zane's earlier words following news of his pardon. "If we're together at all, it has to be because you _want _to be. _Not _because you think that some kind of fate mandates that we have now what we had then."

A tear rolled down Jo's face, which Zane slowly wiped away before dropping his hand back to the bed. Jo rested her head against his chest. Neither spoke for a few moments.

She blew out a sigh and started to sit up. "Anyway, I should-." Zane jerked. She glanced up, concerned, but the pain on his face didn't have a physical source.

"Jo. I…before you all jumped time, I didn't feel like I had any real connection to this town. I was here because I had to be, that's all. Better than prison, but it wasn't home. So I bided my time, and spent it looking for fun wherever I could find it. With whoever I could find it." Jo flinched. Zane was looking toward the wall as if the past was being replayed on it. "Sometimes that meant screwing with you—the _other _you—because it always got a reaction. And that was better than being ignored. I _hate_ being ignored." At this, Jo snorted.

"You _really_ didn't like me then. Not at all. I was just a pain in your ass—until I wasn't. Suddenly you were looking at me like I wasn't just this worthless jerk you'd been saddled with by the DoD. I didn't know what to do with that—at first, I thought you'd just found another way to mess with me, especially when you said you'd _marry _me." Zane shook his head once. "I walked around for days, thinking I'd be hauled off to prison again at any minute, that saying that was your weird way of putting me off guard. Really, Jo—from my perspective? That didn't make any sense."

Jo nodded, having long imagined how that bizarre that scene had appeared to Zane. "Then, even after Fargo clued me in about the time travel, even after you _knew_ he'd clued me in, I didn't know how to reach you. Didn't really know if I wanted to—I couldn't believe that, every time you looked at me, you saw this guy you'd loved. And hated me for not being that guy." Jo raised her head to protest, but Zane continued.

"OK, maybe you didn't hate me then, not anymore, but you sure as hell didn't seem like you wanted me around much. Except in bed…which was great, incredible really, until it started to seem like another way for you to keep your distance. Which _was_ sort of fine with me at first, I'll admit, and maybe that makes me an asshole. But at some point just having sex didn't feel like enough, no matter how good it was." He shook his head. "I didn't know how to change that and it didn't seem like you wanted more anyway—hell, you _said _you didn't even want to keep sleeping together. So we were stuck—friends with occasional benefits, and nowhere else to go."

"Except Titan," Jo said. "Yeah," he answered. "Except Titan. Where you didn't want to be."

"I told you why I didn't want to do that," Jo said. "And for us, being together there wouldn't have been any different than being together here—if we didn't work in Eureka, six months in space with 18 other people probably wouldn't have changed that. And if we _did_ work, six months apart would be nothing. But then…" her voice dropped to a whisper. "You left and I didn't _tell_ you. When I watched Astraeus leave with you on board, I realized it didn'tmatter if you felt the same way or not. I didn't tell the other you how I felt before it was too late, and I made the same mistake again." She squeezed her eyes shut against her rising emotion.

"Josephina." Jo opened her eyes. A corner of Zane's lips twitched up. "Looks like we're at least consistent—I guess some things always stay the same. You're stubborn, I'm arrogant." Jo let out a short laugh. "That's why I love you. _And_ why I didn't tell you that before."

His tone became tinged with sarcasm. "What a great team we make." Jo searched Zane's face, watching as his smiled faded. "Zane?"

"I'm sorry, Jo. If I had died up there, it's my fault you wouldn't have known that you hadn't lost us, not really." He was quiet for a few moments. "So where do we go from here?"

"You love me." Jo said it as a statement, but the question was obvious. Zane nodded then smiled again. "Yeah, did I not make that clear?"

"And I love you," Jo said. Zane nodded. "Apparently so."

Jo looked at Zane for several long moments without expression. His smile faltered. "Jo? Do you have…a problem with this?"

She continued to look at him. Lying in bed, covered in casts and bruises, Zane looked as vulnerable as she'd ever seen him during this timeline. She watched as he straightened as much as he could, eyebrows lowering as he visibly tried to cover his reaction to her stare with nonchalance.

"_That_. Right there. _That _is what I have a problem with. When you do it, when I do it. Hiding what we're thinking." Jo stood, arms crossed. "I've been here-" she gestured around the room, but Zane understood her to be referring to his timeline. "For more than a _year_. And this is the first time we've really talked about us at this level. _That is insane_," she ground out. "Henry and Grace's relationship survived the time change because they _talk_ to each other. Like grownups. But us…no communication is why we didn't work before. And it's why we won't work again if it doesn't change."

"So you want us to talk," Zane said flatly. Jo nodded. Several seconds passed before he spoke again, this time with a hint of humor. "OK, I can do that."

Startled, Jo said, "What?"

Zane grinned. "If you wanted to talk, JoJo, you only had to ask."

"This _isn't_ a joke, Zane." She stepped back from the bed until Zane reached for her arm, wincing in pain.

"I _know_, Jo. I understand what you mean—I've seen Henry and Grace too. Not saying we'll ever be like them, but I get it. We have to be clearer with each other to make this work. I'll try to hold up my end." Zane extended his hand to Jo, who considered it, then shook it. Eyes shining, she answered "Me too."

A few beats passed before Zane suddenly yanked her onto the bed. He slipped his other hand—the one with the cast—around her neck, pulling her down for a kiss. "Zane—stop! You're going to hurt yourself." Jo objected. "Yeah, but _so _worth it," he answered against her mouth. "Besides, if I'm in pain, you'll just have to…administer some relief again."

Gasping in mock outrage, Jo grabbed a nearby throw pillow and swung it at his head, careful not to actually connect. "You…you…," she sputtered before a brilliant smile lit up her face. Zane raised his good hand against the onslaught. "Hey, you _know_ better than to hit an unarmed man," he laughed.

Jo shook her head. "As long as your _mouth _works, you're never fully disarmed." Zane raised his eyebrows. "So you can stop talking…" Jo kissed him lightly, then rested her forehead against his. "For now." She curled her body around him. But they did talk, about many things and nothing at all, until they both drifted off to sleep.

-END-

**A/N: **_**Gah**_**…I wrote T and M versions of this chapter, and waffled wildly over which one to post. This was the result—a bit on the edge between the two, so let me know if you think I picked the wrong rating. **

**Oh, and by the way. In the hope of having my annoyance at Eureka's cancellation take up less space in my head, I deciding feeling like I was doing something about it would help, however futile that effort may be. If you feel the same, take a look at saveeurekacandycampaign_.com (take the spaces out).**

**Thanks for reading!**


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